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Star Trek Generations
:"Two captains. One destiny." A mad scientist plans to destroy an inhabited star system to reach eternal happiness; Captain Picard must enlist the help of the long-presumed-dead Captain Kirk to defeat his plans. Summary Act One 23rd century ]] In the dimness of space, a glint of light appears as a small object flies through the emptiness. It is a bottle of Dom Pérignon tumbling end over end in zero gravity. Suddenly it explodes, shattering into a million pieces against the stark white hull of a vessel - a starship marked "NCC-1701-B", the Enterprise. Aboard the new Enterprise, turbolift doors part and the guests of honor - Captains Montgomery Scott, Pavel Chekov, and James Tiberius Kirk - face a flood of questions from a group of eager reporters. The Enterprise-B's commanding officer John Harriman welcomes everyone aboard for the maiden voyage - a run from Earth to Pluto and back. As the guests of honor inspect the new bridge, Chekov and Kirk encounter a new, old face: that of their old shipmate Hikaru Sulu's daugther, helmsman Demora Sulu. Kirk is at first stunned at the notion of finding time for a family, then warmly greets the younger Sulu, "It wouldn't be the ''Enterprise without a Sulu at the helm."'' As the Enterprise-B gets underway and leaves drydock, a distress call comes in over the com. A convoy of El-Aurian refugee ships, the [[SS Lakul|SS Lakul]] and ''Robert Fox'', is in trouble and the Enterprise is the closest ship in range. Though Harriman is at first hesitant, he resolves to come to the rescue, and sets course... Approaching the endangered ships, the Enterprise-B is rocked by the strange phenomenon that is threatening the El-Aurians: a huge, twisting energy ribbon. Again Harriman is hesitant - with the tractor beam yet to be installed, he orders his crew to vent drive plasma, but this fails to free the ships. Time is running out for the convoy, the hull of the Robert Fox buckles under the gravimetric distortions, killing all 256 passengers. Disheartened, Harriman turns to Kirk for advisement. The elder captain knows exactly what to do: charge head first into the situation, "You want to sit in that chair? Risk is part of the game." As the Enterprise moves dangerously close to the ribbon, the guests of honor snap to action. With no medical staff aboard, Chekov recruits several of the reporters and heads for sickbay; Scotty takes position at a computer console and - together with Kirk - attempts to decipher the strange sensor readings showing the El-Aurian refugees in temporal flux. As the Lakul suddenly explodes, Scotty beams the remaining "47 outa 150" survivors aboard, just as the Enterprise itself shakes hard, caught in the ribbon. Below in sickbay, Chekov and the recruited reporters struggle to keep their footing as the deck shudders beneath them. They move from patient to patient as the rescued El-Aurians flood in for care, all visibly shaken by the trauma. One of the El-Aurians, Tolian Soran, shouts and struggles, pleading to go back. Another refugee, Guinan, is considerably more calm as Chevok leads her to a biobed. On the bridge, the status report is grim, time is again running out. Scotty works his computer attempting to sort out a solution when he finds it: while the Enterprise is without photon torpedoes, a burst from the ship's deflector will disrupt the ribbon and allow them to escape. Volunteering to go below to the deflector control room, Captain Harriman heads for the turbolift, when Captain Kirk stops him, "I'll take care of it." Hurrying through the corridors of the Enterprise-B, Kirk finds his way into the deflector control room, a narrow vertical shaft containing control relays and conduits. Kirk climbs down into the din of the room, red alert lights flashing. He opens panels and makes the appropriate adjustments, holding on tight as the ship trembles. Realigning several isolinear chips, Kirk has finally got it, hitting the com panel and shouting up to the bridge, "That's it! Let's go!" On the bridge, Harriman jumps to his feet, "Activate main deflector!" Deftly working her console, Demora Sulu fires an anti-matter discharge and the ribbon yields. The Enterprise breaks free, sleekly escaping the ribbon when a tendril of energy arcs out and slams against the engineering section. Bridge personnel fly about, tumbling to the deck, but the Enterprise stays its course and finally breaks free of the phenomena. Gathering their wits, the crew of the Enterprise checks the status of the ship, damage reports indicating mostly minor damage but for one, massive hull breach. Examining her console, Demora reports that the hull has been compromised on deck 15 - deflector control. Fearing the worst, Scotty calls for Chekov to meet him and Harriman below. Arriving at deflector control, Scotty, Chekov and Captain Harriman find the entire section in ruins. Where once there was a vertical access area, there is a forcefield and empty space beyond. The three men stand among the debris and stare out. With a gash torn deep into her hull, the Enterprise-B silently moves away from the energy ribbon, toward home. Captain James T. Kirk is dead. Act Two 24th century 78 years later, in 2371, ocean waters roll and the ''Enterprise'', a tall sailing ship, dips in the waves. On the deck, dressed in appropriate 19th century uniform, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his first officer, Commander William T. Riker, preside over the promotion ceremony, honoring now Lieutenant Commander Worf. The entire command crew of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS Enterprise-D]] is present, celebrating their comrade then making him "walk the plank" to recieve his "badge of office". Picard and Riker look on as Worf inches out over the waves and, determined, leaps up and snatches a dangling hat. The crew of the Enterprise erupts in cheers, but the celebration is short lived. Good-naturedly, Riker calls out, "Computer, remove the plank!" and it dissolves beneath the Klingon tactical officer's feet. Worf drops into the water below. Looking over the side of the ship, as an angry Worf splashes and growls, Android Lieutenant Commander Data admits to Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher that he is confused. "How can somebody falling into freezing water be considered amusing?" The doctor smiles and tells him that Data must "try to get into the spirit of things, live in the moment. Do something unexpected!" At that, the Android pushes her lightly, sending Crusher into the ocean herself. Expecting cheers and laughter, Data finds only shocked faces in this fellow officers. Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge stares down at the water-logged Crusher, telling Data that was definitely "not funny". As Worf and Crusher climb back onto the deck, Picard and Riker stand and breathe in the ocean air. The captain admits that this kind of life, to him, was freedom. Just then Picard receives a communique from Earth. Ordering arch, Picard enters his command code into the large holodeck computer console and reads the incoming message, suddenly grave. Sensing the captain's sudden change in emotions, Counselor Deanna Troi attempts to comfort him, but he simply exits the holodeck, into the 24th century corridors of the Enterprise-D. The crew of the Enterprise continues on in the holodeck recreation, until the bridge calls: a distress signal has been received from the Amargosa observatory. Riker is suddenly at attention, "Red alert! All hands to battlestations! Captain Picard to the bridge!" And they rush out. Arriving at Amargosa, the crew of the Enterprise-D discovers the station suffering from a deadly attack. Entering the bridge, Picard is terse, ordering Commander Riker to begin an immediate investigation, then quickly leaving for his ready room. Taking, Worf, Crusher and a small detail of security officers, Riker beams over to the severely damaged observatory. Sifting through the debris on board the station, the away team is successful in locating a survivor buried in the rubble: Dr. Tolian Soran. Holding a light to his face, Riker questions the doctor who can only recall that the attack was swift. Soon, Riker and Worf are called to an upper level where a corpse has been found: it is a Romulan. Aboard the Enterprise in Data's quarters, Data and La Forge are hard at work, despite frequent interruptions by the Android's cat, Spot. Breaking the silence between the two men, Data wonders if Dr. Crusher is still angry and confesses uncertainty about his growth as an artificial life form, "For 34 years I have endeavored to become more human, still I cannot grasp such a basic concept as humor." He moves toward a cabinet and retrieves his emotion chip and ponders it, realizing that it may be the only answer. Despite the risks it poses to his positronic brain, Data asks Geordi to install the chip. La Forge reluctantly agrees. In the captain's ready room, Riker briefs Picard, informing him that they found not one, but two dead Romulans, though no sign of why they attacked the station. "Clearly", though, "they were looking for something." Picard remains gruff telling Riker to contact Starfleet Command, a decision which surprises the first officer. When Picard asks if there's a problem, Riker simply tells him that Dr. Soran from the observatory urgently wishes to speak with the captain. Picard acknowledges the message and dismisses Riker. Entering Ten Forward, Data is all smiles with his new emotion chip activated. He and La Forge approach Guinan at the bar and sample something new from Forcas III. Immediately, Data experiences an emotional reaction, but as he is new to sensation, he cannot express himself. Trying the drink again, he lets out a disgusted sound and Guinan articulates the emotion: "Sounds like he hates it." Data is excited by the prospect''Yes! That is it! I hate this!"'' He takes another swig. "Oh yes! I hate this, it is revolting!" Offering him more, Guinan pours the Android another glass full and he and La Forge toast. Behind them the Ten Foward doors slide open and Captain Picards steps through, finding Dr. Soran among the crowd. The doctor is cordial, thanking Picard for coming and asking to be allowed to return to the observatory. Soran claims to be running a critical experiment, saying that time is of the essence. He narrows his gaze and moves closer to the captain, almost whispering, "They say time is the fire in which we burn. We leave so many things unfinished in our lives...I know you understand." The comment strikes Picard hard and with a silent "I'll see what I can do", the captain departs. In the Enterprise-D engine room, Commander Riker checks on the status of the analysis of a retrieved Romulan tricorder. Worf reports that the Romulans were searching the station for a compound called trilithium, an experimental substance capable of stopping all fusion within a star. Riker doesn't understand why the Romulans would ransack a Federation facility for such a compound, but orders the observatory searched. On the hunt for signs of trilithium, Data and La Forge use tricorders to search Amargosa. As they perform their scans, Data laughs incessantly, recalling a joke Geordi told years ago during the Farpoint mission. Despite the distraction, La Forge detects a hidden doorway that Data is able to open using his axial servo. Once the door has been opened, the Enterprise officers find themselves in a fully operational lab, filled with various types of solar probes. As they examine the room, Data continues laughing, using his tricorder to create a character he calls "Mr. Tricorder" and doing bad impressions of Captain Picard. Geordi becomes irritated, telling the Android they don't have time jokes, but Data cannot stop. Laughing violently, Data falls to the floor - the emotion chip has overloaded his neural net. Calling the Enterprise for help, Geordi cannot get through, deducing that a dampening field is blocking his com signal. From the darkness of the station, Dr. Soran enters the lab, offering to help Geordi then striking him hard in the face, knocking the engineer unconscious. Data sits on the deck, paralyzed by fear and pleading for the doctor to spare his life. Soran draws closer and activates his disruptor, pointing it at Data's head. In the silence and dark of his quarters, Captain Picard sits looking over a photo album. His door chimes and Counselor Troi enters, sitting down next to the captain. Picard tells Deanna about the people in the photos, his brother Robert and nephew René - both of whom recently burned to death in a fire. Troi does her best to comfort the captain, who expresses recent thoughts concerning his mortality: "There are fewer days ahead than there are behind." Picard says that he had taken comfort in the fact that the Picard family would continue in René, but now the family would end with him. "Now there will be no more Picards." Troi and Picard sit in silence for a beat, then the orange light of the Amargosa star suddenly goes dark. Arriving on the bridge, Picard and Troi are briefed: the observatory has just launched a probe into the star, causing a quantum implosion. Troi is horrified, realizing that the destruction of the star will cause a shockwave that will wipe out everything in the sector. With no contact from Data or La Forge on the observatory, Picard orders Riker and Worf to retrieve his men. They have mere minutes. On the observatory, a female com-voice orders Soran to transmit his coordinates. As he works his computer keypad, Worf and Riker enter. Reacting fast, Soren drops behind a free-standing computer console and opens fire, sending the two Enterprise officers flying in different directions. They return phaser fire. Inching his way closer to the fear-stricken Android, Riker encourages Data and to help La Forge, but with a volley of distruptor fire, Soran and La Forge beam away. Aboard the Enterprise, Picard is surprised by the appearance of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey de-cloaking near the observatory and warping away. The captain has no time to react however, as the away team finally returns to the ship, he orders the Enterprise to jump to warp, moments before the shockwave eliminates the Amargosa observatory. As the Klingon ship makes its getaway, Soran enters the dank bridge and strikes B'Etor, knocking her against a bank of consoles. The Klingon is quick to recoil, "I hope, for your sake, you were initiating a mating ritual." Soran rebukes her, "The Romulans came looking for their missing trilithium, if the ''Enterprise hadn't intervened, they would have found it."'' B'Etor and her sister Lursa are defiant, the Romulans didn't find it, "And now we have a weapon of unlimited power!" Soren reminds them that he has the weapon then orders them to set course for the Veridian system, maximum warp. The Duras sisters comply. Back on the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher has done some research into the mysterious Dr. Soran, telling Commander Riker that he is an El-Aurian, a survivor of the Borg attack on his homeworld and over 100 years old. Most interestingly, Soran has had contact with one member of the Enterprise crew before... Picard enters Guinan's quarters to find her surrounded by candlelight. She admits that she had known Soran from her experience aboard the Lakul. Guinan explains that Soran is a man obsessed, determined to return to the "joy" of the energy ribbon that they called the "Nexus". She warns Picard that while she has learned to let go of the experience after being torn away, Soran clearly has not and that could make him a very dangerous man. Why he would destroy a star, however, remains unclear. In the bowels of the Bird-of-Prey, Soran has removed La Forge's VISOR and strapped him shirtless to a chair. Soran compliments La Forge on the VISOR as a marvelous piece of technology, despite its less-than stylish appearance. He asks La Forge if the engineer had ever considered a prosthetic that would make him look a little more "normal" because "normal is what everyone else is and you are not." Soran then tells La Forge that he is an El-Aurian and that as a member of a race of listeners, he's now ready to hear everything the engineer knows about trilithium. * Captain's log, stardate 48632.4. Dr. Crusher has informed me that Data's emotion chip has been fused into his neural net, and cannot be removed. However, she believes he is fit for duty so I have asked him to join me in Stellar Cartography. In the cavernous Stellar Cartography section of the Enterprise, Picard and Data work in front of a huge projection of space. A red line cuts through a graphic of the sector, indicating the path of the Nexus. However, with the destruction of the Amargosa star, gravitational forces have been altered and the course of the Nexus has been changed. Working through distracting feelings of guilt concerning his actions aboard the observatory, Data discovers that the Nexus does pass near to several planets in the Veridian system, but not close enough. Picard puzzles over the diagrams, staring hard at that graphic red line and the planets around it. He asks Data what would happen to its course if Soran destroyed the Veridian star and soon the course changes again, the red line intersecting planet Veridian III. That's where he's going. Data notes, however, that if Soran succeeds in destroying the Veridian star, the entire system would be wiped out, including Veridian IV, an inhabited world. Picard knows he must stop the El-Aurian scientist and orders the bridge to set course for Veridian III. Finished with his interrogation of La Forge, Soran returns to the bridge of the Klingon vessel. When asked if the scientist learned anything from the Enterprise officer, Soran simply smirks, "No, his heart just wasn't in it." As they arrive in orbit of Veridian III, Lursa and B'Etor angrily demand "payment" for helping Soran. The El-Aurian tells the sisters that he has placed all his research on how to make a trilithium weapon on an isolinear chip, but it will not be decoded until he is safely on the surface. As Soran prepares to beam down, a Klingon crewman reports that the Enterprise has entered the system and is hailing, demanding the Klingons return Geordi and leave immediately. Soran is irritated, "There's no time for this, eliminate them." B'Etor protests, there is no way their ship could defeat a ''Galaxy''-class starship. Soran, however, has a plan. "I think it's time we gave Mr. La Forge his sight back." Orbiting of Veridian III, the crew of the Enterprise man their stations, scanning for the Bird-of-Prey. Waiting for the Klingons to come out of hiding, Picard is certain they are close by. As Worf works at tactical, he calculates that any probe launched from the surface would take eleven seconds to reach the sun. Unfortunately, it would take between eight and fifteen seconds for the Enterprise weapons systems to lock on. Riker and Picard agree that they don't like that margin of error. Just then, the Bird-of-Prey de-cloaks. On screen, the Duras sisters appear, greeting Picard and telling him that Soran is no longer aboard their ship, his location a secret. Riker leans in, telling the captain to be careful, the Klingons killed Geordi - they cannot be trusted. Lursa objects, telling the Enterprise officers that Geordi has not been harmed, "He has been our...guest." Picard presses them, telling the sisters that he will beam to their ship in exchange for the return of his engineer. First, however, he must be allowed to speak with Soran. The sisters agree that the captain represents much more valuable hostage, "We'll consider it a prisoner exchange." Picard pats Data on the shoulder, then calls Dr. Crusher to the transporter room. Receiving Soran's coordinates from the Klingon vessel, Picard steps onto the transporter pad and beams away as Geordi La Forge materializes next to him. Crusher and her medical staff rush to the aid of the engineer as he falls to the floor. Materializing on an arid desert mountain top, Captain Picard finds Dr. Tolian Soran hard at work on a large rocket launcher. Soran greets the captain, "You must think I'm quite the madman." Picard admits the possibility, but Soran knows why the captain is here: "You're not entirely confident you can shoot down my probe so you've come to dissuade me from my horrific plan." The El-Aurian scientists smiles and adds, "Good luck." Soran turns away from Picard to continue his work and Picard pursues, running into a large forcefield that tosses him back and to the ground. The El-Aurian feigns concern telling the captain he wouldn't want to Picard get hurt. Aboard the Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey, Soran's plan seems to be working. Lursa and B'Etor watch their viewscreen as Geordi's VISOR transmits video...but of what? The view the Klingon sisters are given is of sickbay's ceiling, then a close-up shot of Dr. Crusher leaning over her patient. The Klingon sisters recoil, disgusted, "Human females are so repulsive." '' As the sisters watch from his VISOR, Geordi sits up in sickbay. Dr. Crusher informs him that she has repaired his injuries and thinks he is going to be fine. After she leaves, Data comes to La Forge's bedside and apologizes for not helping, he has not been acting like himself. Geordi tells Data that it is all right, ''"You've been acting like a Human." On the surface of Veridian III, Picard follows Soran around his makeshift compound, staying clear of the forcefield barrier. He offers to help Soran find another way into the Nexus rather than killing millions of innocent people. Then he appeals to Soran's sympathies, telling the scientist that what he is about to do is no better than what the Borg did to his people. Soran pauses for a moment considering the captain's words, then he laughs, "Nice try." Climbing down into a computer console below his rocket launcher, Soran tells Picard that he was once a peaceful man who wouldn't hurt a fly - but the Borg showed him "that if there is one constant in this whole universe, it's death." Soran tells the captain that time is a "predator." In the Nexus, there is no time and there is no death. To Picard, mortality is the truth of existence, but Soran claims to have found new truth. In their orbiting ship, Lursa and B'Etor wait impatiently, watching through Geordi's VISOR as he bathes, then roams the ship. "He must be the only engineer in Starfleet who doesn't ''go to engineering!"'' On the bridge, Worf grumbles at his post, still unable locate the captain. Riker tells him to keep at it, then approaches Data as he strolls, happily to ops. He tells the Android that the sensors cannot penetrate the planet's atmosphere and asks him to find a way to scan for lifeforms. Data is all smiles, "I would be happy to, sir...I just love scanning for lifeforms." He begins typing into his console musically, singing along with it: "Lifeforms... you tiny little lifeforms... you precious little lifeforms... where are you?" Finally, Geordi arrives in engineering, checking status report displays and passing over a console the Klingon sisters recognize. They replay the image, freezing it and magnifying their view of a set of numbers on a display screen. The Duras sisters order their weapons armed and open fire on the Enterprise... ...which rocks under the sudden impact of a photon torpedo blast. Worf reports that the Klingons have found a way to penetrate their shields! Riker orders return fire, but the Bird-of-Prey's shields hold. Another volley of phaser fire from both sides, but the Enterprise is now no match for the Klingons. As the helm erupts in sparks, the pilot is injured and Counselor Troi to takes control. As she attempts to pull the ship out of orbit and to safety, the Klingons continue their brutal assault. The bridge shakes hard, sparks and debris flying about, Enterprise crew members falling to the deck. Bracing himself against the tactical railing, Riker questions Worf for any weaknesses the Klingon vessel might possess. Worf tells the commander that it is a D-12 Bird-of-Prey, all of which were retired from service due to defective plasma coils. Riker asks if this can be exploited. Worf mentions the plasma coil is part of their cloaking device. In engineering, conduits and interlocks begin blowing out and Geordi works to stabilize main power. Back on the bridge, Data has a plan: a low level ionic pulse might reset the Klingon's plasma coil and trigger their cloaking device. Riker tells Data to do it, who runs to a console and begins work. The Klingon ship continues firing at will, the Enterprise taking heavy damage. Riker prepares Worf, "We're only going to get one shot at this, target their primary reactor!" As the battle rages, Data's adjustments are ready and he activates the ionic pulse, causing several bridge stations to explode. Aboard the Bird-of-Prey, the Klingons eagerly target the Enterprise bridge, but before they can, their cloak suddenly engages. As one of the crew reports, "We are cloaking! Our shields are down!" With that, the Duras sisters turn and face the viewscreen as a single photon torpedo blasts toward them, detonating against their ship and setting their bridge on fire. The Enterprise crew stands in the silence of their ruined bridge as the Bird-of-Prey explodes on screen, debris flying in all directions. Data pumps his fist in victory and shouts, "YES!" In the relative calm of Soran's mountaintop domain, Captain Picard has resigned himself to sitting on a rock, tossing pebbles into the forcefield and watching it crackle. One of the pebbles, however, misses its target and flies through a hole, clearing the forcefield and landing on the opposite side. Picard stares at the breach, it is a way in. On the Enterprise, La Forge contacts the bridge, telling Riker the magnetic interlocks have been ruptured. Before he can continue, though, there is an explosion as plasma coolant begins spewing from the warp core. "Coolant leak!" La Forge shouts and begins evacuating the section. Contacting the bridge again, La Forge alerts the crew to a new problem: a warp core breach is imminent and there's nothing he can do. Faces on the bridge are tense as Riker gives the order to evacuate the entire crew to the saucer section, "Prepare to separate the ship." With just under five minutes to get to safety, the crew rushes to flee the crippled battle section. In sickbay, Dr. Crusher and Nurse Alyssa Ogawa gather their wounded shipmates and hurry them to emergency shelters. La Forge and Lieutenant Farrell aid in the evacuation, finding several lost children in the corridors and whisking them to safety. Planetside, Soran approaches Picard; he has finished his work has foreboding words for the captain, "I have an appointment with eternity, and I don't want to be late." With that, he turns and begins climbing the face of a cliff and ascends out of sight. With the El-Aurian scientist gone, Picard moves to the hole in the rocks and begins digging, keeping a watchful eye out. On the bridge of the Enterprise, Riker calls Geordi: the core breach is accelerating, they've got to get out of there. Climbing up through Jefferies tubes, La Forge is the last one out, signaling to the bridge that separation can proceed. With one minute until the breach, Riker orders the separation, telling Deanna to fire up the impulse drive once they are clear. With the warp core going critical, the saucer separates from the drive section and begins retreating at full speed. As the saucer glides away, the core explodes, destroying the drive section and creating a massive shockwave that careens against what is left of the Enterprise. The bridge dips crazily, Deanna holding onto the helm, the controls suddenly inoperative. On screen, the planet fills their view: the Enterprise is crashing. At his post, Data articulates it best: "Oh ''shit!"'' Picard is oblivious to the fate befalling his ship, clearing small rocks and pebbles away from an opening leading to the other side of the forcefield. As he pushes his way through the rocks, a larger boulder crashes down, pinning his body in the opening. Attracted by the sound of the falling rocks, Soran sees the captain struggling to break free. The El-Aurian grabs his disruptor pistol, aims and fires, watching the rocks and boulders tumble free as the forcefield crackles above. In a cloud of dust, Picard disappears from view. The hull of the Enterprise saucer section blazes red as the stricken starship falls into the atmosphere of Veridian III, plummeting to the surface. On the bridge, Data and Troi work their controls, determined to save their ship. Below, the corridors are full of Enterprise crew and civilians, hurrying to seek cover. La Forge and Farrell lead their group of children to crew quarters where they quickly conceal them beneath a large bunk. Elsewhere, Crusher and Ogawa lead their patients to beds, throwing their bodies over the wounded to protect them. With a sonic boom, the Enterprise breaks through cloud cover and flies low over jungle-covered mountains. Data continues to work, rerouting power to the lateral thrusters, hoping to break the ship from its free fall. But it is too late. On screen, the top of a mountain appears as the saucer slams into it, throwing everyone on the bridge to the floor. Riker is tossed from the center seat, Worf tumbles over the tactical railing. Grabbing onto railing and consoles, Enterprise crewmembers brace themselves as the ship continues to fall. Grabbing Deanna, Data shelters the counselor against falling debris as the Enterprise strikes another cliff and crashes down into a forest. Cutting through trees, the forward sections of the saucer are pummeled. Crusher and Ogawa are thrown about as windows break around them. Equipment all over the ship is destroyed and consoles explode. Regaining their positions, the bridge crew holds on tight as the Enterprise just keeps going, rocking violently as it clears a swath into Veridian III. Finally, with a thud, the ship finally comes to a sudden stop - Riker, Worf, Troi and Data are ejected from their seats and thrown forward toward the viewscreen as it shatters. The crash is over. , landed on Veridian III]] Now there is silence, the ship is still. Riker sits up on the deck next to the broken command chair and looks up toward light streaming in. The large window at the top of the bridge has been shattered and blue sky and clouds can be seen above. The Enterprise-D is a total loss. Miles away from the crash site, Dr. Soran looks out over the rugged terrain of Veridian's desert. He checks his calculations on a PADD, then stops - Picard stands in front him, then attacks. The two men exchange blows, but Soran has the upper hand, punching Picard hard in the stomach and face, then throwing him from a metal platform and onto the rocks below. The captain tumbles down a hill and lies face down in the dirt. A few yards away, Soran's rocket launcher activates and his solar probe blasts up into the atmosphere, streaking toward the Veridian star. Blood dripping down his face, Picard stands and watches in horror as the probe disappears and the light from the star suddenly goes out. In the eerie dimness of the now sunless planet, Soran climbs up a rock face and onto a high platform, extending his arms into the sky. With a roll of thunder, the Nexus slices through the sky toward him, dipping low and scooping Soran and Picard off the face of the planet. In space, the Nexus lazily moves away from Veridian III as a shockwave from the exploded star expands, destroying the system. On the surface, the Enterprise and her crew are suddenly vaporized. Act Three "Where am I?" Captain Picard's voice echoes as he transitions from the real world to the Nexus. A hand reaches toward him from space and removes his blindfold. Picard finds himself in familiar surroundings, a Victorian-style house, with his wife, children, and nephew René. They wish him a happy Christmas and dive into a pile of presents at the base of a tall Christmas tree. His wife handing him a cup of Earl Grey, Picard sits back and takes in the moment. He has been absorbed into a fantasy. Later Picard strolls through his home, into a study and to large bay windows overlooking snow-covered trees, decorated with colorful lights and bulbs. Standing at the windows, Picard finds himself staring into a strange, surrealistic world, the bulbs on the trees containing small stars that flash brilliant bursts of light. Suddenly, he is aware of what has happened and turns to find Guinan standing behind him. The El-Aurian bartender tells the captain that she exists both here and in the real world, a part of herself she left behind so many years ago - an echo of her former self. With the appearance of Guinan, Picard is at first divided, tempted by the prospect of staying in the Nexus and living out this fantasy life. But he soon realizes that action must be taken and asks Guinan if he can leave the Nexus. Guinan tells him that the timeless nature of the Nexus would allow him go any place, any time. Picard knows exactly where he wants to go: the mountaintop on Veridian III to stop Soran from destroying the planet, but he will need help. As she already exists in the real world, Guinan tells the captain that she cannot go with. But, she says, there is somebody who can help. Suddenly Picard finds himself standing outside a rustic cabin the woods, daylight shining down through trees. A few feet away, James T. Kirk stands, chopping wood with an axe. Seeing Picard, Kirk smiles, "Beautiful day." Picard agrees and helps Kirk chop wood, asking "Do you know how you got here?" Kirk isn't quite sure, one second he was aboard the Enterprise-B, another he was here chopping wood. Before Picard can question the captain further, Kirk is drawn inside the cabin, hurrying into the kitchen where eggs burn on the stove. Kirk tells Picard to come on in, this is his house - at least, it used to be. Picard steps inside and into the kitchen, helping Kirk prepare a fresh set of eggs on the stove. Picard hesitates momentarily, then introduces himself as Captain of the Enterprise, from what Kirk would consider the 24th century. Kirk is nonplussed, excited to be here in his home, in the past. A woman calls down to him and he instantly knows who it is: Antonia, a lost love. Quickly preparing breakfast, Kirk prepares to charge upstairs and rewrite his own history. Picard tries to stop him, telling the captain that as a Starfleet officer, he is obligated to return to Veridian III with him and stop Soran. Kirk feels history owes him one and marches up the stairs to Antonia. Picard follows Kirk up the stairs and after a moment's hesitation, opens the bedroom door and walks into a barn on Earth. "This is not your bedroom," Picard half asks Kirk, who says that it is even better: his uncle's barn in Idaho. Grabbing a saddle, Kirk jumps onto a horse and gallops out into rolling hills. Picard watches him go, then grabs a saddle himself and rides after him. Ahead of Picard, Kirk and his horse come to a deep ravine. Without equivocation, Kirk jumps the ravine, then turns around and jumps it again, stopping to consider it. As Picard rides up, Kirk knows something is wrong: "I must have jumped that a thousand times, scared the hell out of me each time. Except now, because it isn't real. Nothing here is." He looks up and sees Antonia on the horizon, waiting. "She isn't real either." Kirk moves his horse next to Picard and gives the new Enterprise captain a once over. "Captain of the ''Enterprise, huh?"'' The two men sit on horseback and discuss the situation. Kirk admits that he does not miss the house or the family he never had, he misses his days on the ''Enterprise'' when he made a difference. Picard appeals to Kirk, "Come back with me, make a difference again." Kirk considers it, then agrees, "Who am I to argue with the captain of the ''Enterprise?"'' "I take it the odds are against us and the situation is grim," Kirk says. Picard admits that it is. Kirk continues, "You know, if Spock were here, he'd say I'm an irrational, illogical Human for taking on a mission like that...sounds like fun." Together, they ride off and a beam of light envelops them as they exit the Nexus and move into the past... Soran stands on the Veridian III mountaintop and checks his pocket watch when a figure steps toward him. Soran looks up at the man and scowls, "Just who the hell are you?" Behind him, Picard appears, "He's James T. Kirk. Don't you read history?" Soran knows he is in trouble and jumps away, down onto the rocks below and makes a quick retreat. Picard heads for the launcher as Kirk sets off in pursuit of the El-Aurian. Rounding a corner, Kirk is caught by Soran who shoves a disruptor in his face. "Actually I am familiar with history," Soran growls, "and if I'm not too mistaken...you're dead!" Picard jumps down behind Soran, catching him off guard long enough for Kirk to get in several blows. Kirk and Soran fight, exchanging punches until Kirk is able to throw Soran off a cliff. Grabbing onto a dangling rope, Soran saves himself, entering a command into his PADD that cloaks his rocket launcher. Suddenly the rope snaps and Soran drops suddenly, then jolts to a stop, losing his control PADD which falls onto a metal bridge spanning a chasm. Realizing they must de-cloak the launcher to prevent it from launching, Kirk and Picard run onto the bridge toward the PADD. A volley of disruptor fire flies through the air, narrowly missing the two Starfleet captains and slicing the bridge in half. Picard is thrown clear, but Kirk hangs on to what is left of the bridge. With all his might, Picard pulls Kirk to safety and the two collapse on the ground, noticing the PADD intact on the other half of the bridge, a deep chasm away. Kirk volunteers to go, telling Picard to get to that launcher and prepare to deactivate it once it is de-cloaked. Gingerly stepping out onto the broken bridge, Kirk stands at the edge, preparing to jump over the chasm to the other half. As the delicate bridge collapses under his weight, Kirk leaps, catching himself on the other half of the bridge and grabbing hold of the PADD. Entering in a command, Kirk de-cloaks the rocket launcher and begins to climb up. But it is too late. The bridge buckles and careens down the rock face, taking Kirk with it. Running up a platform and onto the launcher, Picard frantically works the controls, trying to prevent it from launching. Aiming his disruptor at Picard, Soran demands the captain step away from the launcher. Picard jumps down and runs around a rock face and out of sight. Soran heaves himself onto the launcher, just in time to read the display screen: the locking clamps are engaged. Soran has no time to react, the launcher fires and explodes in an enormous fireball that covers the entire area in a thick cloud of smoke and dust. Emerging from the cloud, Picard makes his way down into the chasm where the bridge has collapsed. Digging through the twisted metal wreckage, Picard uncovers Kirk, laying broken among the debris. Kirk is bloody and faint, "Did we make a difference?" Picard assures him they have and thanks the captain. "The least I could do," Kirk says, "for the captain of the ''Enterprise."'' He manages a weak smile, "It was...fun," then turns and faces his destiny, "Oh my". Burying Kirk on the mountaintop, Picard stands and keeps silent vigil. A time later, he begins a long trek through the desert until an Enterprise shuttlecraft appears and picks him up. * Captain's log, stardate 48650.1. Three Starfleet vessels have arrived in orbit and have begun to beam up the ''Enterprise survivors. Our casualties were light, but unfortunately the Enterprise herself cannot be salvaged.'' At the saucer crash site, Starfleet ships have begun a salvage effort. In the ship's broken cargo bay, Deanna Troi and Data use tricorders to search for survivors, detecting a faint lifeform in the wreckage. Tearing through the debris, Data finds his cat, Spot, alive and well. Overcome with emotion, Data begins to cry, cradling his pet in his arms. , two to beam up."]] In what is left of the captain's ready room, Commander Riker and Captain Picard retrieve the Picard Family Album and move out onto the bridge, a burnt out shell of its former glory. Picard relates to his first officer his thoughts, "Someone once said that time was a predator that stalked us all our lives, but I rather believe that time is a companion that goes with us on the journey, and reminds us to cherish every moment because they'll never come again." They stand near the center seats and survey the damage. Picard holds his family album close and smiles, "What we leave behind is not as important as how we lived. After all, Number One, we're only mortal." Riker grins mischievously, "Speak for yourself, sir. I plan to live forever." Riker is disappointed that he will no longer have the chance to command the Enterprise-D and stands near the ruined captain's chair. Picard nods, telling Riker that he doubts that the Enterprise-D will be the last ship to bear the name Enterprise. Picard and Riker take one last look around their destroyed starship and call the Farragut for two to beam up. Memorable Quotes "Load torpedo bay. Prepare to fire on my command." "Captain, we don't have any torpedoes." "Don't tell me... Tuesday." : - Kirk and Demora Sulu, on the Enterprise-B "Transport complete. I got 47... out of 150." : - Scotty, completing the attempt to transport the survivors aboard the Lakul when it explodes "Oh yes! I hate this! It is revolting!" "More?" "Please." : - Data and Guinan, during the meeting in Ten-Forward "Yes!" : - Data, after the Klingon ship is destroyed "Oh... shit!" : - Data, as the saucer is crashing down on Veridian III "Someone once told me that 'time' is a predator that stalks us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment because it will never come again." : - Picard "It was... fun. (beat) Oh, my." : - Kirk's last words "They say that time is the fire in which we burn." : - Tolian Soran "There was a time when I wouldn't hurt a fly. And then the Borg came..." : - Tolian Soran "Make it so." : - Data, imitating Picard with his tricorder "You... could say I have a magnetic personality." : - Data "I just love scanning for lifeforms. ''(commences singing and tapping on console like a keyboard) Lifeforms... you tiny little lifeforms... you precious little lifeforms... where are you?" : - '''Data' - "Captain, is there something wrong with your chair?" : - Scotty "Very good, sir." "Brought a tear to me eye." "Oh, be quiet." : - Chekov, Scotty, and Kirk, remarking on Kirk's order to take the Enterprise-B out of spacedock "My God! Was anybody in here?" "...Aye." : - Chekov, about the missing part of the hull, Scotty, knowing Kirk was in the room "We were on the bridge, you told the joke, that was the punchline." "The farpoint mission? Data, that was ... that was seven years ago!" "I know. I just got it!" : - Data and La Forge, when Data laughs at a joke that La Forge made at Farpoint Station "... promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. And may God have mercy on your soul!" : - Picard, reading Worf's promotion orders "Computer, remove the plank!" (Worf falls into the water and Picard leans over to Riker) "Number One, that's retract plank, not remove plank..." (Riker leans over the edge to look at Worf) "Sorry!" : - Riker and Picard "Who am I to argue with the captain of the Enterprise''?" : - '''Kirk' "Human females are so repulsive." : - Lursa, watching La Forge's bug, as she looks right at Dr. Crusher "I don't know... he bathed... now he is roaming the ship. He must be the only engineer in Starfleet who does not go to engineering!" : - B'Etor, about La Forge "I'm gonna miss this ship. She went before her time." : - Riker about the ''Enterprise''-D Background Information Development Star Trek: The Next Generation executive producer Rick Berman was approached by Paramount Pictures executives in the winter of (during the series' sixth season) in regards to a seventh ''Star Trek'' film. While the studio intended Star Trek VII to be a TNG vehicle, Berman felt the outing was an opportunity to "pass the baton." In , Berman and the studio commissioned two stories and three writers, a fourth, TNG writer and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine co-creator Michael Piller passed. As written by former TNG writer/producer Maurice Hurley, the film followed William Shatner as James T. Kirk traveling through time to the 24th century. As proposed by then current TNG writers Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, the film would feature the entire Original Series cast in a prologue, with Captain Kirk later appearing at the film's climax. Berman later recalled the process: :"In both scripts, the stories that we developed, were stories that entailed to different degrees members of ''The Original Series along with The Next Generation. First, we went through the story development on both, and both stories were submitted to the studio. We got a lot of notes from the studio, the stories were revised, and then we went to first draft on each. Eventually, it became quite obvious that the studio and I were leaning toward Ron's and Brannon's script. That's not to say Maury's script wasn't terrific, it just was far less advanced by the time we really had to make a decision."'' Berman and the studio pursued the Moore/Braga story. A first draft script was completed during TNG's sixth season hiatus, dated . Initially bandying about ideas involving the two Enterprise crews battling each other, Moore and Braga quickly abandoned the concept. Ron Moore explained in : :"...The best possible poster you could ever hope to have for this picture would show you the two ''Enterprises battling against each other. We all tried our best, but we were never able to come up with any scenario that made both crews look heroic. No matter how we played around with this thing, somebody was gonna come off looking like the bad guy. So then we returned, a little more solidly, to the "mystery that spans two generations" idea that would allow Whoopi Goldberg, as Guinan, as the tie that binds the two." Searching for a major "event" to anchor the film: :"...One of us just kinda threw out, 'What if we kill Kirk?' And we all kinda looked at each other and said, 'Wow. That would be ''amazing.' ...From that point on, Kirk's death became part of the fabric of our story, and as a big surprise to us all, there was never a moment where it really came into question." Eventually paring the appearances of the TOS cast members down to two select cameos and the role of James T. Kirk bookending the film, the producers then sought their guest stars. While William Shatner agreed to appear pending script approval, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley - the two preferred cameo appearances - were less eager to return. Stating that they had felt their characters made sufficient exits in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, both actors declined to appear in Star Trek VII. Leonard Nimoy - having been offered the director's chair - reportedly requested script changes, but was rebuffed. In his memoir Star Trek Movie Memories, William Shatner wrote: :"Leonard, surprisingly, wasn't all that upset with this unusual turn of events. As you know, on ''Treks ''III'', ''IV'' and VI, Leonard had been very involved very early on, nursing his projects through the story level and the scripting process, while simultaneously functioning as director and ultimately producer. However, this time around, that simply wouldn't have been his job. This story came from Rick Berman. It was written by his own handpicked writers, and essentially, Leonard was being asked to shoot their script as written, and he wasn't all that interested." Early drafts of the script took shape under the guidance of Rick Berman and with input by Shatner. The film's villain, "Moresh", was later changed to Dr. "Soran" to avoid recalling David Koresh, the infamous cultist. The early scripts also featured large action set pieces that were later removed. Among them was the Romulan attack on the Amargosa observatory, cut when TNG writer (and Star Trek: Voyager co-creator) Jeri Taylor suggested something more "charming". Another major revision to the script revolved around the Duras sisters and their crew: surviving the destruction of their ship, they would have battled the Enterprise-D crew in the jungles of Veridian III. Later drafts of Generations and the full TNG finale were written simultaneously. This would often lead the writers to mix the stories up. In their joint commentary for the Star Trek Generations (Special Edition) DVD, they admitted that they felt "All Good Things..." turned out to be the superior effort. During the scripting stages, however, the studio had few qualms and preproduction proceeded even as filming on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine continued. Preproduction With the start of preproduction, Berman battled the studio over budget figures, the film cut in cost to an estimated $35 million (U.S.). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111280/business Hoped for location shooting in Hawaii and Idaho were dropped in favor of more local shoots in Hollywood, Marina del Rey, Pasadena, Lone Pine, and the Valley of Fire State Park near Las Vegas, Nevada. By Moore and Braga's script reflected budget and cast changes. In place of first choice Leonard Nimoy, veteran TNG and DS9 director David Carson was hired, in turn recruiting veteran cinematographer John Alonzo of Chinatown and Scarface fame. Herman Zimmerman - who designed the initial TNG and DS9 sets - was called back into service on the film, working with Alonzo and illustrator John Eaves to refresh the aging TV sets. Budgetary constraints reined in some of the proposed sets; the new stellar cartography set reduced from three levels to two. As with most of the previous Trek movie installments, visual effects giant Industrial Light and Magic was hired to produce space and spaceship shots, while TNG mainstay CIS Hollywood was brought in for phaser shots, transporter effects, cloaking and de-cloaking transitions and the Picard Family Christmas ornament. Last minute decisions included the hiring of actor Malcolm McDowell as the man who would (as far as the final draft script) gun down Captain Kirk; reportedly later receiving death threats from obsessed fans. http://www.trektoday.com/news/160405_01.shtml The actor's nephew and DS9 star Alexander Siddig would later say during an interview that McDowell thought the script was "shit". http://trekweb.com/articles/2002/05/25/1022329109.html McDowell had previously explained his reason for accepting the role: :"When Rick asked me to be in this film, I was thrilled! I said, 'I'd LOVE to do it. I want to be THE man to kill Kirk.' And when I read the script I thought Soran was an interesting and wonderful character, and obviously he would ultimately be given the honor of pulling the trigger that kills the good Captain Kirk. I'd immediately become a trivia question at ''Star Trek conventions all over the globe." Sets Despite its reuse of sets built,in some cases as early as for , production designer Herman Zimmerman and his art department - namely John Eaves - began designing and redesigning as early as . One of the first and most elaborate sets generated from Paramount's motion picture art depart was the two story stellar cartography room. Initially conceived of after a visit to Griffith Park's Laserium in Los Angeles, the room was imagined as a large sphere, eventually becoming a more budget friendly cylinder. John Eaves described the process in his book, Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies: :"Illustrator Clark Shaffer had just started on the film at this time, and he helped out with the immense load of drawings that had to be done. He took a rough console design I did for the cartography platform, and did a breakdown of the way the console should be put together, Again, I have to say that one of the exceptionally nice things about working on the ''Star Trek films is that everyone is so invovled and helpful with design ideas. Mike Okuda and Herman Zimmerman contributed a number of wonderful ideas of how this room should look, and I have to say that the final set was an impressive thing to see (not only in the finished film, but in real life)." While a hoped for floating platform proved to be too expensive and impractical, the set was realized with a combination of large, back-lit graphics and blue screen projection created at ILM. The set was created in sections with wild walls that could be moved in and out, lighting elements integrated into the ceiling requiring little modification from shot to shot. A small section of Enterprise-D corridor was erected behind the upper level platform. Also conceived of in December, the Enterprise-B's deflector control room was designed to be a large, vertical area dominated by large machine elements, a second-level observation balcony and access panels built into the stage floor. Again, as the film's budget tightened, the design team returned to the drawing boards in to design a smaller, vertical access shaft. David Carson recalled: :"That gave us the most wonderfully interesting camera angles. Making the approach different, from horizontal to vertical, meant dealing with the budget in a creative way like that. Herman had a good time designing that; he ran through it about four times by himself just to make sure he had plenty of stuff for Shatner to do." Regarding the most visible section of the ''Enterprise-D, the main bridge, Zimmerman and Eaves took the opportunity to - in their eyes - improve the set. Echoing modifications it received in the TNG episode , the new old bridge gained additional computer stations situated along the port and starboard bulkheads. John Eaves: :"Herman wanted to make the bridge more functional. To accomplish that, we raised the captain's chair slightly (symbolically putting his authority higher than those sitting in the two chairs flanking him). For functionality, we also split the ramps on either side of the commander center. We still had a ramp going down, but added two elevated stations, one against either wall, where crew members could work. We also replaced an alcove filled with lockers and storage panels with a new graphics station (courtesy of Mike Okuda). At oine point, we had added some new standup stations behind the captain's chair, where Worf works. It was a nice design, but it wound up being simply too much of a modification, so we dropped it." Worf however did finally receive a chair to sit on at his post. The set was also repainted and recarpeted with handrails added near the doors to the observation lounge and aft turbolift, working video monitors were incorporated into many of the ship's status displays. The captain's ready room, adjacent to the bridge, received a new, larger fish tank built into the wall and a larger window. Other sets aboard the ''Enterprise received only minor reworking, engineering was connected to another corridor set, the "plugs" removed from the walls. The four red alert lights in the hallway of the engineering set were also illuminated during the engineering scenes, even when the ship was not in battle. Overhead lighting wad reduced in all of the sets, with display screens popping from the darkness. Of the modifications, Zimmerman said: :"I hope the fans will say, 'Oh that's what I've been seeing on that little TV screen all these years!'" Following the end of production, the interior sets of the ''Enterprise were struck and replaced with those belonging to a new starship, the [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]], for the upcoming series Star Trek: Voyager. Of the original sets, only small sections of the corridors, sickbay, transporter room and engineering were left standing, although the new sets were constructed directly over the basic framework and floor plan originally designed and built for the aborted Star Trek: Phase II. Of those remaining sets, only a small piece of the Enterprise-D sickbay (the ceiling) remained in use during the most recent series Star Trek: Enterprise. The interior of the Amargosa observatory was a redress of the Enterprise-B main bridge, which was itself a redress of the ''Enterprise''-A main bridge from Star Trek VI. Details built into the observatory set were meant to imply that it had been built around the time of TOS, with jeweled buttons and labels similar to those used on the original Enterprise. A half-globe map of the cosmos used in the Enterprise-D stellar cartography lab on the TV series appears in the wreckage of the observatory, along with an elevator from Data's lab. Costumes His first task when recruited for the preproduction phase of Star Trek Generations, John Eaves created several new combadge designs, first however creating a flip-top version like the communicators of TOS. Told to first review tapes of TNG to become more familiar with the new show, Eaves ultimately redesigned Rick Sternbach's oval-shaped communicator badge, refining into the rectangular design later used in DS9, VOY and later TNG movies. Costume designer Robert Blackman, working simultaneously on the outgoing, current and incoming series as well as the film, reworked Starfleet's uniforms. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6952/ron12.txt The uniforms, however, were scrapped at the last minute for fear of introducing too many new facets to the universe. Unaware of the change, Playmates Toys went ahead with production of action figures for the film, depicting the TNG cast in the unused uniforms. The producers opted instead to use a combination of the costumes used throughout TNG and those introduced on DS9. The new Starfleet uniform worn by Patrick Stewart was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction (item #3053) along with LeVar Burton's (item #3042). Also auctioned off was Dr. Soran's costume upon arriving on the Enterprise-B (item #3058). Effects Between the release of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and the preproduction phase of Star Trek Generations, several advancements had been made in the art of motion picture visual effects. Primarily spurred by steps forward in computer-generated animation in films like Jurassic Park, Generations marked the first Star Trek production in which many starships would be rendered digitally by ILM. Despite this advancement, physical models were utilized for the majority of effects shots. Unpacking the original nine-foot model they built for in , the ILM effects team completely overhauled the Enterprise-D. In order to stand up to high resolution film cameras and big screen project, the starship was repainted and redetailed, receiving a new interior lighting scheme. Once again resulting from budgetary cuts, several stock footage shots of the Enterprise were interspersed with new model photography and CG imagery, notably during the Captain's log segment and saucer separation sequence. Stock footage from the previous film was also used to depict the destruction of the Duras sisters' Bird-of-Prey, itself recycled from the previous four film outings. Also reusing the original [[USS Excelsior|USS Excelsior]] miniature from , ILM and John Eaves were tasked with redesigning the ship to be used as the Enterprise-B: :"First I took a photo that showed the ''Excelsior in spacedock, did a rendering, and started putting add-ons on the ship. When I met with Mike Okuda, he pointed out that we needed to design an area that protruded from the ship, so that the energy ribbon could whip out a section while leaving most of the ship intact. So we built a section of decks extended out fromt he main body, which tapers gently on the bottom and flares out dramatically on the stop. We also did a detail sketch of the area around the deflector dish, designating one area as the reactor room. The addition of the decks gave the B's belly section a look similar to that of a P.B.Y. Catalina (a flying boat of the s). The added girth increased the overall size of the vessel, while still retaining the original Excelsior design. We made a few other changes, such as taking two fins off the top of the saucer, and putting in two major impulse engines (we figured these stronger engines would be needed when the saucer detached). As for the nacelles, we added a cap to them, plus a dorsal fin on top and a running fin on the outer edge." A computer-generated model of the Enterprise-B was also created for scenes that required it to interact with the digital Nexus energy ribbon. An all-new miniature was created by ILM, designed by John Eaves, to represent the Amargosa stellar observatory. The model was later reused with minor alterations in DS9's as the wormhole relay station. The Enterprise-B model also turned up on that series as the [[USS Lakota|USS Lakota]] ( ). Yet another refurbished model appeared as the drydock the Enterprise-B was moored in, repainted and reconstructed from its first appearance in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Arguably one of the film's most memorable sequences, the crash of the Enterprise-D was shot, (nearly) live by ILM. Storyboarded by Mark Moore, the shots were achieved through the creation of a twelve-foot model of the Enterprise-D saucer section and a large landscape model. Suspended by large cables, the model was repeatedly flown into the model, shot with high speed cameras and then slowed down in post production and mixed with several composite shots of Veridian III. A major sequence in the script, the crash of the Enterprise saucer section was inspired by drawings of an emergency saucer landing in the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. Following the crash, effects master John Knoll and his team donned Starfleet uniforms to appear as crew members of the Enterprise-D, standing on a large blue tarp draped over the ILM parking lot. Footage of the team was later integrated into shots of the Enterprise hulk and the Veridian landscape. Production With production on TNG's final season still underway, cameras rolled on Generations and scenes focusing on Scotty, Chekov and Kirk aboard the USS Enterprise-B and the later deleted orbital skydiving sequence. A ten day hiatus followed the conclusion of production on The Next Generation before that series' cast went to work. Shot on a relatively short schedule, the film was slated for only 50 days of production. For location filming in the Valley of Fire, director David Carson's production offices temporarily moved to a Las Vegas hotel. Suffering through the 110-degree heat and dust storms of the Nevada desert, the behind-the-scenes crew quenched their thirst with Gatorade until the sports drink began attracting bees. Carson was forced to wear an eye patch for at least one day of filming when his cornea was damaged during a surprise sand storm. More comfortable filming days were spent in Pasadena at the Nexus fantasy Picard home, a week aboard the Lady Washington for Worf's promotion in Marina del Rey and in the mountains of Lone Pine for Kirk's cabin - real residence that acquired a new kitchen and staircase built specifically for the shoot. Reshoots Completing principal photography in the summer of , rough cuts of Star Trek Generations were screened for test audiences. Despite generally favorable reactions to the bulk of the film, audience comments reflected negatively on the film's finale. In their joint DVD audio commentary, Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga recalled a feeling of disconnect washing over the audience, "We'd lost them." Returning to the motion picture head Sherry Lansing's office on the Paramount Lot, Rick Berman, Moore and Braga were told, "You have a great movie, but a bad ending." '' The production was given a budget of $5 million and told to reshoot the ending, specifically scenes in which James T. Kirk is shot in the back by Soran. Forced to utilize the same location, the writers struggled to insert a brand new finale into the framework already established. In late , the production crew and cast of ''Generations returned to the Valley of Fire and James T. Kirk was killed all over again. Having recently shaved his head for another project, Patrick Stewart wore a specially fashioned hairpiece during these scenes. Additional shots at the Pasadena "Picard Family home" location were also required to clarify plot elements. Ronald D. Moore commented: :"By the time of the test screening, we knew that this sequence wasn't working – we'd already seen dailies, of course, and had watched several rough cuts of the picture and everyone knew this wasn't playing the way we thought it would. :Hope springs eternal, however, and we all went into the test screening with the hope that maybe we were over-thinking the problem or maybe we were too close to the film to really be objective at that point. Unfortunately, the test audience reaction pretty much confirmed what we all suspected. We were disappointed that our original vision didn't work, but we were grateful that the studio was willing to give us the time and money to go back and fix it. The executives believed in the picture and said basically, ''"You've got a good movie here, but you need to fix the ending." So Brannon, Rick, and I put our heads together and struggled to come up with a workable way to reshoot the death of Kirk and then to tweak the Christmas sequence and make it a little more coherent and meaningful. It was a very difficult task because of the time, money, and set constraints."'' :Brannon and I talked over many, many different sequence involving various weapons, devices, hidden underground laboratories that Soran may have hidden under the mountain, phaser fights, cat and mouse chases, etc. but ultimately they all proved impractical, uninteresting, prohibitively expensive, or all of the above. The bridge gag came to us as we watched the footage over and over and realized that we might be able to use the established set pieces to our advantage. The studio, the director and the actors all liked the new version and so that's what we went with." http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6952/ron72.txt Deleted Scenes Along with the original ending, several minutes of footage were left on the cutting room floor. All available on the Star Trek Generations (Special Edition), most of the deleted scenes were minor character moments set following the crash of the Enterprise-D. Among the deleted material were sequences involving Dr. Crusher and Nurse Ogawa returning to sickbay, Geordi La Forge and Worf piloting a damaged shuttlecraft to rescue the captain, additional footage aboard the Enterprise sailing ship and an alternative version of the Nexus Christmas segment. Scripted and shot at the request of William Shatner, the film's original opening featuring Kirk skydiving from orbit to find Scotty and Chekov waiting on the ground below was also cut, replaced with the champagne bottle opening. Official Site The official website for Star Trek Generations, created on 28 October 1994, was the first official movie site: it was the first site on the internet to officially publicize a feature film. After being personally approved by then-Paramount Motion Picture chairman Sherry Lansing, the site was constructed by a team at Paramount Media Kitchen in Palo Alto, California, using press kit materials, videotapes of the film's trailer, and two-dozen slides. The site was an immediate success and prompted Paramount and other motion picture studios to create sites for their own films. http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/features/specials/article/7647.html Two versions of the official site were available for view, a graphics-rich version and a text-only version. Upon entering either version, the viewer was taken to a brief synopsis of the film followed by a greeting and an explanation of the site. From there, the viewer could watch the two movie trailers, view production stills, and listen to clips and music from the film. A behind-the-scenes page included sections on the history of Star Trek, cast and crew biographies, production notes, film credits, and a downloadable interactive multimedia kit. In addition, there was a Star Trek shop promoting Star Trek merchandise and an input page where viewers could send comments via forms or e-mail. The site was a collaborative production of Paramount Pictures, Viacom Consumer Products, and Viacom Interactive Services. The site credits are as follows: ;Executive Producer: Leonard Washington ;Art Director: David Pettigrew ;Technology Director: Paul Resch ;Internet Consultant: Seth Skolnik ;Technical Producer: Randy Taylor ;Online Producer: Marc Wade ;Technical Support: Dwight Bufford, Keith Gibbons, Stefan Lisowski ;Production Assistant: Stephanie Wilson The site was last updated on 23 November 1994. It has since been removed and a section at StarTrek.com has become the film's official web destination, found here. However, the original site, with commentary, can be accessed via a link in this StarTrek.com article. Reaction The release of Star Trek Generations was widely covered in the news media, Patrick Stewart and William Shatner appearing in character on the cover of Time Magazine in the winter of . On its opening day, the film reached number one at the box office with a first day gross of $23,100,000 (US). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111280/business Critical reception, however, was mixed. Earning a split decision from Siskel & Ebert, Gene Siskel gave the film thumbs up, Roger Ebert gave it thumbs down. Writing for the Chicago Sun Times, Ebert said of the film, "The "Star Trek" saga has always had a weakness for getting distracted by itself, and "Star Trek: Generations," the seventh film installment, is undone by its narcissism." Giving the film two stars out of a possible four, Ebert concluded: :"''Star Trek seems to cross the props of science fiction with the ideas of Westerns. Watching the fate of millions being settled by an old-fashioned fistfight on a rickety steel bridge (intercut with closeups of the bolts popping loose and the structure sagging ominously), I was almost amused by the shabby storytelling. Why doesn't more movie science fiction have the originality and imagination of its print origins? In Stargate, the alien god Ra was able to travel the universe, yet still needed slaves to build his pyramids. In Star Trek Generations, the starship can go boldly where no one has gone before, but the screenwriters can only do vice versa." http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19941118/REVIEWS/411180304/1023 The film review website Rotten Tomatoes calculated a 47% overall approval rate for Generations. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_generations/?critic=columns BBC reviewer Tom Coates ranked the film at two out of a possible five stars, "''Generations feels like three lacklustre episodes of the TV series mashed together with one of the earlier Star Trek movies. Devotees may find it necessary (if depressing) viewing, but there's little here for anyone else."'' http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/09/04/star_trek_generations_1994_review.shtml FILM.COM's Lucy Mohl however said of the film, "The meeting of Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard and William Shatner's James T. Kirk is worth the price of admission or video rental: it's the clash of the titans, Shakespeare meets the Sixties." http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_trek_generations/?critic=columns Regarding some of the oft-mentioned plot discrepancies within the film, Ronald D. Moore commented: :"Our reasoning (and it's admittedly thin) is that Picard didn't want to go back any further in time than absolutely necessary since he knows the extreme dangers of unexpected results from any tampering with the timeline. Okay, it's not much, but there it is." http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/6952/ron41.txt Moore and Braga further elaborated on this during the film's DVD commentary, saying that the question kept coming up and they even asked themselves, "Why would they go back to a point when their life would be in danger? Why not just go back a couple of months or so, find Soran in the bathroom or somewhere and take him out?" The film went on to gross a total of $75,668,868 in the US, totaling $120,000,000 worldwide. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111280/business Notes Cast Trivia * This is William Shatner's only appearance as Kirk without Leonard Nimoy. It is his first and only appearance in which the Borg are mentioned. * Though the film marks the final appearances of William Shatner and Walter Koenig (Chekov), both appeared again in the computer game Star Trek: Starfleet Academy. * This is James Doohan's last appearance as Scotty, although he had previously appeared in the role in . The events of that episode succeeded the events of Generations Act One. * Uhura is the only major character from The Original Series not to appear or be referenced in dialogue. * Tim Russ appeared aboard the Enterprise-B in the opening of the film. He had previously appeared in the episodes and as different characters and would soon after be cast as Tuvok in Star Trek: Voyager. * Though they were intended to be the same characters, Robert and René Picard were portrayed by different actors in the photographs in Picard's album. * Christopher James Miller plays the film version of René, Captain Picard's nephew. He had previously portrayed William Shatner's son in an episode of seasQuest DSV. * According to The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), Patrick Stewart was aided in his portrayal of Picard's grief by the script for Jeffrey, which he was reading on set. * Shots of Picard standing over Kirk's grave did not actually feature Patrick Stewart, but rather Dennis Tracy. Tracy acted as Stewart's stand-in and appeared earlier in the film as an unnamed Bolian waiter in Ten Forward. * Although Data is the owner of Spot the cat, Brent Spiner actually hates cats and objected to the scene where Data finds Spot in the wreckage of the Enterprise, saying "Does he have to find the cat? Can't he find, like, Geordi or something?" * The captain of the Lady Washington (here standing in for the Enterprise brig) appears during the holodeck sequence of the film, taking over the helm from Deanna Troi. * Generations marks the deaths of several major characters: Captain James T. Kirk, Robert Picard, René Picard, and the Duras sisters, Lursa and B'Etor. It also marks the destruction of the Enterprise-D and the final appearance of La Forge's VISOR. * After the release of Generations, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy made a joint appearance on Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. Host Regis Philbin asked Nimoy if he would appear in another Trek film to which he replied "if he Shatner shows up, I'll be there." Shatner then quipped: "You are such a liar! I showed up and you didn't!" References to Other Series and Films * Footage of the interior of the Bird-of-Prey being destroyed appeared again later in the DS9 episodes and . * Though not heard on screen, the name of the Lakul's counterpart was the SS Robert Fox, named for Ambassador Robert Fox from . * The scene in which Picard buries Kirk's body on a cliffside under rocks is reminiscent of Kirk burying Gary Mitchell in the second TOS pilot . * After Data's emotion chip is installed, he references a joke La Forge told during , the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The punchline of the joke had to do with a "Ferengi in a gorilla suit." The Farpoint mission took place on stardate 41153.7, before official first contact with the Ferengi and their recognition as a species. The joke was not seen in the actual episode. Sets and Props * A bottle of Saurian brandy can be seen in the reception room at the christening of the Enterprise-B. * Captain Picard's chair was stolen from the set mere hours before shooting was scheduled to commence. A new one was quickly fabricated. * Data's emotion chip has varied in shape and size since its last appearance in (which, in turn, was different from its previous appearance in ). Also, Geordi inserts the chip into Data's head, while in "Brothers", Dr. Soong implanted the chip in Lore's (whom he thought was Data) neck. * Among the items visible in Captain Kirk's house are a photo of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|original Federation starship Enterprise]], the ship's dedication plaque, a publicity photo of the cast of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, a Klingon bat'leth, a Starfleet phaser from , and a Jem'Hadar weapon from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Apocrypha * Coinciding with the film's marketing campaign, a hardbound novelization was released by Pocket Books. Written by frequent Star Trek fiction contributor J.M. Dillard, the novelization differed from the movie on a number of minor points, but was generally faithful to the structure and dialogue of the orginal screenplay. Reshoots however forced the book's final chapters to be rewritten, though the first edition had already gone to market. * Novelized spin-offs included William Shatner's The Ashes of Eden and The Return - picking up at the crashed saucer on Veridian III, and Engines of Destiny by Gene DeWeese, telling of Scotty's guilt after the apparent loss of Kirk. Following the events of , Scott travels back in time to rescue Kirk. However, this change in the timeline allows the Borg to almost completely takeover the Alpha Quadrant, as, without Kirk's aid, Picard died during the confrontation with Soran. Consequently, Earth is conquered by the Borg during the time-travel events of . Aided by the Enterprise-D crew, as well as alternate versions of Guinan and Sarek, Scott is forced to return Kirk to the Nexus, restoring the original timeline at the moment the Enterprise is destroyed by a Borg fleet. Appendices Cast ]] ]] * Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard * Jonathan Frakes as William T. Riker * Brent Spiner as Data * LeVar Burton as Geordi La Forge * Michael Dorn as Worf * Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher * Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi * Malcolm McDowell as Tolian Soran * James Doohan as Montgomery Scott * Walter Koenig as Chekov * William Shatner as James T. Kirk Starfleet Personnel * Alan Ruck as Capt. Harriman * Jacqueline Kim as Demora Sulu * Jenette Goldstein as the ''Enterprise''-B Science Officer * Thomas Kopache as the ''Enterprise''-B Com Officer * Glenn Morshower as the ''Enterprise''-B Navigator * Tim Russ as an ''Enterprise''-B Lieutenant * Journalists: ** Tommy Hinkley (Journalist 1) ** John Putch (Journalist 2) ** Christine Jansen (Journalist 3) * Michael Mack as Ensign Hayes * Dendrie Taylor as Lieutenant Farrell * Patti Yasutake as Nurse Ogawa * Granville Ames as the ''Enterprise''-D Transporter Chief * Henry Marshall as an ''Enterprise''-D Security Officer * Brittany Parkyn as a Girl with Teddy Bear * Majel Barrett as the computer voice Aliens * Barbara March as Lursa * Gwynyth Walsh as B'Etor * Rif Hutton as a Klingon Guard * Brian Thompson as the Klingon Helmsman * El-Aurian Survivors ** Marcy Goldman (El-Aurian Survivor 1) ** Jim Krestalude (El-Aurian Survivor 2) ** Judy Levitt (El-Aurian Survivor 3) ** Kristopher Logan (El-Aurian Survivor 4) ** Gwen Van Dam (El-Aurian Survivor 5) The Nexus * Kim Braden as Picard's wife * Christopher James Miller as Picard's nephew * Picard's Kids: ** Matthew Collins (Matthew) ** Mimi Collins (Mimi) ** Thomas Alexander Dekker (Thomas) ** Madison Eginton (Madison) ** Olivia Hack (Olivia) Uncredited Co-Stars ;Starfleet: * David Keith Anderson as Armstrong * Cameron as Kellogg * Tracee Lee Cocco as Jae * Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace * Lorine Mendell as ''Enterprise''-B crewman #1 * John Tempoya as ''Enterprise''-B crewman #2 * Dennis Tracy as a Bolian waiter * Tarik Ergin as a Medical technician * Stewart Lew as a Crewman in Ten Forward * Mary Meinel-Newport as a Bolian woman * Kerry Hoyt as a lieutenant in Ten Forward * Penny Juday as a Woman in Ten Forward * Keith Rayve as a crewman * Grace as a female alien civilian in Ten Forward * Terryl Whitlach as a civilian during saucer section crash * Victoria Cameron as Ten Forward waitress #1 * Judie Pimitera as Ten Forward waitress #2 ;Aliens: * Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan * Guy Vardaman as a Klingon Officer ;Holodeck: * Bill Larson as the ''Enterprise'' Navigator * Darrell Hall as the ''Enterprise'' Topman Stunt Performers * Randy Hall as stunt double #1 for Malcolm McDowell * Michael Haynes as stunt double #2 for Malcolm McDowell * John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart * Bernie Pock as stunt double #2 for William Shatner * Don Pulford as stunt double #1 for William Shatner * Pat Tallman as stunt double #1 for Gates McFadden and Gwynyth Walsh and an ''Enterprise''-D bridge officer * Erik Stabenau as an ''Enterprise''-D crewman * Lynn Salvatori as Antonia Uncredited Stunt Performers * Chris Durand as an Enterprise-D bridge crewman * Jay Caputo as an Enterprise-D Operations Division bridge crewman * Denney Pierce as an Enterprise-D helm crewman * Mark Riccardi as the stunt double for Jonathan Frakes * Rosine "Ace" Hatem as stunt double #1 for Marina Sirtis * Joni Avery as stunt double #2 for Marina Sirtis * Jane Austin as stunt double #2 for Gates McFadden * Merritt Yohnka * Eugene Collier * Jeff Mosley * Pat Romano - stunt rigger * Norman Kent as stunt double #3 for William Shatner (sky diving scene - deleted) References Academy marathon; alternate timeline; Amargosa; Amargosa observatory; Amargosa system; antimatter containment; bat'leth; Battle of Trafalgar; Bolian; Borg; ''Bozeman'', USS; Breen; Butler; champagne; Chateau Picard; Christmas; cloaking device; communications station; crew quarters; Crusher, Jack; dedication plaque; deflector control; deflector dish; diaper; dill weed; disruptor; Dom Pérignon; drydock; Du'cha; duotronics; Earth; Earth Broadcasting Company (EBC); El-Aurian; emotion chip; ''Enterprise''; ''Enterprise'', USS; ''Enterprise''-A, USS; ''Enterprise''-B, USS; ''Enterprise''-D, USS; ''Excelsior''-class; Farpoint Mission; Farpoint Station; ''Farragut'', USS; ''Farragut'' shuttlecraft; Farrell; Federation News Network (FNN); Forcas III; force field; Gagarin Hall; ''Galaxy''-class; gravimetric distortion; gravimetric field; ''Hawking''; holodeck; horseback riding; House of Duras; Idaho; Klingons; Klingon Bird-of-Prey; Ktarian eggs; [[Kurlan naiskos|Kurlan naiskos]]; La Barre; Grankite Order of Tactics; ionic pulse; ''Lakul'', SS; Livingston; magnetic interlock; main engineering; Martian colonies; Maurice Picard; McCoy, Leonard; ''Miranda''-class; ''Nebula''-class; Nexus; Nobel Prize; ''Oberth''-class; photon torpedo; Picard family album; Picard, Robert; plasma coil; plasma coolant; Pluto; pocket watch; ''Robert Fox'', SS; Romulans; San Francisco; Saurian brandy; saucer section; saucer separation; science station; shield frequency; Spacedock Shuttle; sickbay; Spock; Spot; Starfleet Broadcasting (SFB); ''Stargazer'', USS; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet uniform; Stellar Cartography; Sulu, Hikaru; Ten Forward; tricorder; trilithium; trilithium weapon; type-3 disruptor; type-6 shuttlecraft; type-7 shuttlecraft; Veridian; Veridian system; Veridian III; Veridian IV; VISOR; Wallace, Darian; warp core breach; warp plasma; Workbee * [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) personnel|List of USS Enterprise-D personnel]] * 47 references Media * Star Trek Generations (Special Edition) * ''Star Trek Generations'' (soundtrack) * ''Star Trek Generations'' (novel) * ''Star Trek Generations'' (game) Sources *''Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Larry Nemecek, Pocket Books, . *Star Trek: The Next Generation Sketchbook: The Movies, John Eaves & J.M. Dillard, Pocket Books, . *Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Continuing Mission, Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens, Pocket Books, . *Star Trek Movie Memories, William Shatner & Chris Krenski, Pocket Books, . *[[Star Trek: Generations (Special Edition)|''Star Trek Generations (Special Edition)]] DVD, Ronald D. Moore & Brannon Braga, audio commentary. *''Star Trek Generations'' (Special Edition) DVD, Michael & Denise Okuda, text commentary. External Links * * Generations de:Star Trek: Treffen der Generationen es:Star Trek VII: Generations fr:Star Trek: Generations nl:Star Trek: Generations pl:Star Trek VII: Pokolenia sv:Star Trek: Generations